Greenhouse gases

The atmosphere also gains heat by sensible and latent heat fluxes from the surface. Greenhouse gas By their percentage contribution to the greenhouse effect on Earth the four major gases are: This leads to a higher equilibrium temperature than if the atmosphere were absent.

So much so that levels of the major CFCs are now remaining level or declining. Most of this thermal radiation is absorbed by the atmosphere and warms it.

Since the combustion of fossil fuel is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, changes in emissions from fossil fuel combustion have historically been the dominant factor affecting total U.

It is then released again in the fall and winter as the plants decompose. Chlorofluorocarbons Chlorofluorocarbons CFCs Greenhouse gases no natural source, but were entirely synthesized for such diverse uses as refrigerants, aerosol propellants and cleaning solvents. The atmospheric concentration has a marked seasonal oscillation that is mostly due to the greater extent of landmass in the northern hemisphere and its Greenhouse gases.

Increasing the concentration of the gases increases the amount of absorption and reradiation, and thereby further warms the layers and ultimately the surface below. Changes in CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion are influenced by many long-term and short-term factors, including population growth, economic growth, changing energy prices, new technologies, changing behavior, and seasonal temperatures.

Greenhouse gases, their long atmospheric lifetimes determine that some concentration of the CFCs will remain in the atmosphere for over years. Many observations are available online in a variety of Atmospheric Chemistry Observational Databases. Their creation was in and since then concentrations of CFCs in the atmosphere have been rising.

The main human activity that emits CO2 is the combustion of fossil fuels coal, natural gas, and oil for energy and transportation, although certain industrial processes and land-use changes also emit CO2. Note that many industrial processes also use electricity and therefore indirectly cause the emissions from the electricity production.

In the modern era, emissions to the atmosphere from volcanoes are approximately 0. However, changes in its concentration is also Greenhouse gases to be a result of climate feedbacks related to the warming of the atmosphere rather than a direct result of industrialization. It is more realistic to think of the greenhouse effect as applying to a "surface" in the mid- tropospherewhich is effectively coupled to the surface by a lapse rate.

Consequently, ozone has higher concentrations in and around cities than in sparsely populated areas, though there is some transport of ozone downwind of major urban areas. As the shortwave energy that in the visible and ultraviolet portion of the spectra heats the surface, longer-wave infrared energy heat is reradiated to the atmosphere.

However, CO is able to modulate the production of methane and tropospheric ozone. Though measurement of VOCs is extremely difficult, it is expected that most anthropogenic emissions of these compounds have increased in recent decades.

The main sources of CO2 emissions in the United States are described below. Since they are also greenhouse gas, along with such other long-lived synthesized gases as CF4 carbon tetrafluorideSF6 sulfur hexafluoridethey are of concern. Reducing distance traveled in vehicles reduces petroleum consumption.

As the global population has increased and our reliance on fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas has been firmly solidified, so emissions of these gases have risen. Radiative energy losses become increasingly important higher in the atmosphere, largely because of the decreasing concentration of water vapor, an important greenhouse gas.

Energy Conservation Reducing personal energy use by turning off lights and electronics when not in use reduces electricity demand. Increasing use of these fertilizers has been made over the last century.

Fuel Switching Producing more energy from renewable sources and using fuels with lower carbon contents are ways to reduce carbon emissions. The Northern Hemisphere contains about twice as much CO as the Southern Hemisphere because as much as half of the global burden of CO is derived from human activity, which is predominantly located in the northern hemisphere.

One possible explanation is the reduction in vehicle emissions of CO since greater use of catalytic converters has been made.

This results in more warmth below. Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions The most effective way to reduce CO2 emissions is to reduce fossil fuel consumption.

During the night, the atmosphere cools somewhat, but not greatly, because its emissivity is low. The simple picture also assumes a steady state, but in the real world, there are variations due to the diurnal cycle as well as the seasonal cycle and weather disturbances.

Since about human activity has Greenhouse gases the concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.A greenhouse gas is any gaseous compound in the atmosphere that is capable of absorbing infrared radiation, thereby trapping and holding heat in the atmosphere.

Learn about key greenhouse gases and their sources, as well greenhouse gas emissions at the global, national, facility,and household level. The greenhouse effect occurs when Earth's atmosphere traps solar radiation because of the presence of certain gases, which causes temperatures to rise.

The greenhouse effect is the process by which radiation from a planet's atmosphere warms the planet's surface to a temperature above what it would be without its atmosphere. If a planet's atmosphere contains radiatively active gases (i.e., greenhouse gases) they will radiate energy in all killarney10mile.com of this radiation is directed towards the surface, warming it.

A greenhouse gas is a gas that absorbs and emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range. Increasing greenhouse gas emissions cause the greenhouse effect.